Tag: 2023

PRESS RELEASE : Minister Docherty underlines commitment to peace and security during visit to South Caucasus [November 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 November 2023.

UK Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty visits Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan to underline the UK’s unwavering support for sovereignty and regional security.
- UK Minister for Europe will underline the UK’s unwavering support for sovereignty and security during a visit Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan
- Minister Docherty will emphasise the urgent need for direct peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach a long-term settlement for peace and stability
- his third visit to the region this year, he will discuss Armenia and Georgia’s democratic reform agendas, and promote UK expertise in aiding Azerbaijan’s transition to renewables
The UK is stepping up its cooperation and support for peace and stability in the South Caucasus as UK Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty, will underline on his tour of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan which commences today (Monday 20 November).

The region, located on Russia’s southern border, remains vulnerable to external interference as it recovers from the impacts of conflict and attempts to press ahead with reform agendas in support of democratic choice for freedom and independence.

Building on the formal Strategic Dialogues with all 3 countries earlier this year, Minister Docherty will extend the UK’s offer of increased trade and security cooperation to help the countries to diversify their and reduce European reliance on Russia.

Ahead of arriving in Yerevan, Minister for Europe Leo Docherty said:

The South Caucasus faces significant security challenges, both internally and from its neighbours which threaten to destabilise the region.

In a volatile region, the UK is a reliable partner for reform, peace and stability.

The Minister for Europe arrives in Yerevan ready to build on the momentum of last week’s UK-Armenia Strategic Dialogue in London, during which both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in trade, security and on the rule of law.

In Tbilisi, he will reaffirm the UK’s unequivocal support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and back its Euro-Atlantic aspirations, in line with the will of the Georgian government and people.

The UK is working with the Georgian government to build its resilience against Russian aggression, including through the Tailored Support Package agreed at the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid.

Following recent events in Nagorno-Karabakh, Minister Docherty will urge the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage meaningfully in internationally-mediated negotiations to reach an historic agreement and secure lasting peace for the region.

In September, the UK contributed £1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to support the humanitarian response to the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the wider region.

The UK became one of the first countries to provide demining support to Azerbaijan, providing world-leading equipment and delivering mine clearance training to local authorities.

Minister Docherty visits Baku just as the UK is building on that partnership – extending its offer for specialised courses in explosive ordnance disposal which will provide the skills needed to operate in a high threat environment.
November 25, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Canning House 80th anniversary celebrations: David Rutley’s keynote speech [November 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 November 2023.

Minister for Americas and the Caribbean David Rutley spoke at Canning House to mark 80 years of building relationships between the UK, Latin America and Iberia.

Thank you, Jeremy. It is my very great honour to be here tonight as you celebrate and reflect on the remarkable work of Canning House and everything it has achieved over the last 80 years and as you, and we, look to the future.

Can I begin by saying a big ‘thank you’ to Canning House – particularly to Jeremy Browne and his team – for bringing us together this evening. And, on this 80th anniversary celebration, I know that everyone will want to join me in saying ‘well done’.

I know how much James Cleverly was looking forward to being here this evening, the more so after his time in Brazil, Chile and Colombia in May. I will only say that one constant in politics is that circumstances change! And David Cameron has asked me to say that he is sorry that he is not able to come this evening.

In my 13 months as the Minister for Latin America, I have travelled to the region 16 times and visited 25 countries in the Americas. Everything that I have done and seen has further reinforced my views not only about the region’s extraordinary people and potential, but about the importance to us here, in the UK, of these relationships, as we look to the future.

It is 200 years since British veterans volunteered to help the people of Latin America in their struggles for independence. The great George Canning, after whom Canning House is named, was instrumental in shaping our diplomatic recognition and economic support to the young nations that emerged.

Our early relationships were characterised by the pioneering spirit of those involved. Knowing how much our relationships with almost all the countries of Latin America matter today, we need that same pioneering spirit, as much now as then.

In this new and turbulent era of geopolitical competition, we in the UK need to keep close to our old friends and offer them the partnership they need to prosper. The threats and challenges are very real.

‘Russia Today’, ‘Sputnik’ and their ilk are expanding their Spanish-language content and their reach. China is keen to exploit its economic heft to push values quite different from those we in the UK, Europe and Latin America all share.

But I have no doubt that, through working together, our shared values will prevail, precisely because the values and freedoms we espouse are decent and principled. They are ones that people everywhere deserve.

This government is determined to be constant in our offer of partnership with Latin America. We are committed to constantly renewing it, as a partnership founded on shared values of democracy, human rights, and self-determination; and on mutual interest and trust.

Our ambition needs to be propelled by a shared desire to act, help build capacity and genuinely make a difference.

Of course, this is easy to say but more difficult to deliver. I am proud how much we have achieved since our former Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, spoke in Chile in May this year and outlined the UK’s ambition for future relations with the region.

In the United Nations, we have voted together from positions of principle on resolutions that go to the heart of some of the biggest challenges in the world today. I was proud of the UK’s work in the Security Council on a resolution expanding the mandate of the Colombia Verification Mission, whose work is so important to support the peace process there.

And last month, we signed a renewed partnership agreement with Chile on Antarctica, a region of the world where we need international cooperation to continue.

We have signed a ‘Partnership on Green and Inclusive Growth’ with Brazil and held bilateral trade dialogues with Chile, Colombia and Peru. We had ministers from 6 Central American countries in London last month for the first Ministerial Council of the UK-Central America trade agreement. We have also made progress with the political and cooperation pillars of our Association Agreement with them.

The UK’s joining CPTPP sets the stage for deeper trade and investment ties with several Latin American partners. The expert technical assistance we have provided has helped Panama achieve its goal of getting off the Financial Action Task Force’s grey-list.

We are working with the Lithium Triangle countries – Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. Recognising the vital importance of Latin America’s critical minerals for the global transition to a green economy.

On protecting the environment, Latin American countries will be big beneficiaries from the UK’s $2 billion contribution, announced in September by the Prime Minister, to the Green Climate Fund, our largest single climate funding commitment.

Helped by the British Council, we have also been busy on the education front. Learning English is not just a rich source of goodwill, it opens doors for millions to career opportunities in science and technology.

The Youth Mobility Scheme we have agreed with Uruguay will allow young Uruguayans to spend two years in the UK. This will further strengthen ‘people to people’ links that are so vital to developing our partnerships.

Yesterday, voters in Argentina chose their new President – my congratulations to President-elect Milei. He will take office at what is an exciting, and a challenging, time.

Ours is an old and close friendship, but it has been bruised in recent years. As all of you know, we will be constant in our support for the Falkland Islanders, in our support of their freedoms and their rights, particularly that right of self-determination.

With Javier Milei’s election we have an opportunity to take forward our partnership and to work together on the global challenges we both face.

There is so much here for us to take pride in tonight. But we will all want to see more in the year and years ahead.

In particular, we want to see Latin America have a stronger voice within the international order. Two centuries after Canning foresaw these young nations’ rising influence in the world, we have a part to play in making sure their voices are heard.

The UK has therefore made absolutely clear our support for Brazil sitting as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. We are looking forward to the coming year, with Brazil chairing the G20 from next month. We’re also looking forward to 2025, as Belém hosts COP30: a very appropriate ‘first’ for a city in the Amazon region.

Together we need to make progress in the reform of ‘international financial institutions’ and international tax. You will all have seen that we are working hard to broaden the global debate on AI, making sure the regulation of this incredible technology reflects our values and the views countries and regions around the world.

As we support Latin America’s voice on the world stage, we are working too to support all Latin Americans to have a voice at home.

Women’s and girls’ rights everywhere matter to us. Women’s voices in much of Latin America are already strong. I am encouraged by the record numbers of women MPs across Latin American legislatures. We are working to see the violation of women’s and girls’ rights addressed, including through our recent contribution to the Organisation of American States programme tackling sexual violence against migrant women and girls.

Every one of you will, I’m sure, have spent time thinking and talking about the instability and difficulties we are facing today in the international arena. Whatever the capacity we are here in this evening, we will share the sense that the world is ever more connected, that what is happening far away is having direct consequences for us, our families, our businesses. The need for international partners to work together is as great as it has ever been.

As I stand back, I find it helpful to think of what we are working to do in and with Latin America, now and in the future, in 4 strategic ‘pillars’: one ‘values’, a second ‘climate action’, a third ‘trade’, and the fourth ‘security and defence’. These don’t all stand apart from each other. Rather, each supports the others.

First, our values make us what we are – as democracies committed to rights and freedoms, free trade, the rule of law and international principles. And it is these same values that we are seeing under attack from state actors whose self-interests are not served by democracy, free speech or independent courts.

Second, climate. Latin America’s biodiversity makes the region nothing short of extraordinary. We all need that biodiversity to be protected, and the peoples who protect it to be supported. It is crucial we put support for marine conservation and the protection of the Amazon at the forefront of our agendas. Success is a key to our realising the global climate goals all of us need – in the UK, Latin America and around the world. Climate is a huge priority.

Third, trade. Today we need global supply chains to be more resilient and more secure. As the UK we are determined to work with Latin partners to diversify our and your trade and create conditions that will encourage new and increased investment. There is so much potential to do more.

And our fourth pillar, security. I commented that, wherever in the world we are, we are all increasingly affected by what is happening in other places, often far away. This connectivity is only going to increase, including in areas like security, organised crime, drugs or illegal migration. We need our friends to be safe from the threat of organised crime and that will help us keep our own streets free of the blight of drugs. We are strongest when we fight these threats together.

In the UK, we will focus our efforts on keeping and strengthening a set of reliable relationships, based on shared values, that lead to opportunities and deliver value, for us and for Latin America.

We want and need to be a partner of choice where we have genuine advantage or interest. We know that we will need to invest, working with you in order to achieve this.

Each of the parts you play – as businesses, universities, think tanks, representatives of other governments, as friends of and stakeholders in the UK’s relationship with Latin America – will help to determine how successful we can be.

The work you are doing to draw the UK closer to Latin America, and to inform, encourage and support these important relationships, is invaluable.

Ladies and gentlemen, I conclude where I began. Latin America and the UK have been friends for 200 years. Our friendship matters, and as we look at the geopolitical landscape, it needs to continue to matter more than ever.

Thank you.

November 25, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Hampton Court Palace confirmed as venue for Global Investment Summit [November 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 20 November 2023.

The iconic British building will host the Prime Minister and over 200 CEOs for landmark summit, expected to secure billions of investment, drive economic growth and create jobs across the UK.

Hampton Court Palace will be the venue for next week’s Global Investment Summit, Minister for Investment Lord Dominic Johnson confirms today.

Jointly hosted by the Prime Minister and the Department for Business and Trade, the summit will take place on Monday 27 November and focus on ‘Great British Ideas – Past, Present and Future’.

This includes a showcase of pioneering innovators from across the UK, with significant investment opportunities in sectors including technology, sustainability, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and creative industries.

More than 200 of the world’s leading CEOs are expected to attend the exclusive summit, which will showcase the UK as one of the best places in the world to do business and drive billions of pounds of new and strategic investment into every corner of the economy. In 2022/23 alone, 80,000 jobs were created through FDI projects, notably in Scotland, Wales, the North and the Midlands.

Following the summit, His Majesty The King will host a reception at Buckingham Palace. Further detail will be issued by Buckingham Palace in due course.

Minister for Investment, Lord Johnson said:

The UK is a top global investment destination, and this event will help secure billions of pounds of valuable investment that has the power to drive economic growth and create jobs.

I’m hugely excited that our Global Investment Summit will be staged at the historic Hampton Court Palace. For centuries, this Palace was a focal point for exploration, innovation and discovery, with famous Britons from Henry VIII to William Shakespeare having lived or visited here.

It is fitting that Hampton Court Palace will continue this tradition and bring together cutting-edge British innovators and the world’s biggest investors to forge new dynamic partnerships.

Chief Executive at Historic Royal Palaces, John Barnes said:

We are delighted to host the Global Investment Summit at Hampton Court Palace, a place that has formed the backdrop to historic events for over 500 years. Since the 16th century, the Palace has been a place filled with ambassadors, explorers, traders and some of the greatest minds of their time, including William Shakespeare, who was commissioned to perform his plays in the Great Hall.

Today, Historic Royal Palaces continues these traditions of exploration, innovation and creativity, and we hope that everyone at the summit will be inspired in the same way by those who came before.

Boasting a rich history back to the 16th Century, the palace – which is cared for by independent charity Historic Royal Palaces – has showcased the best of British sport, theatre and fine art, and has been used as a backdrop for numerous TV programmes and films including Bridgerton, The Favourite and The Theory of Everything.

Investors will also get a quintessentially British experience at the summit, with Beefeaters lining the red carpet as they arrive at the venue, with afternoon tea also being served before carriages depart for Buckingham Palace.

As confirmed earlier this month, speakers at the summit include Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman and Founder of eponymous fashion label Anya Hindmarch CBE.

The UK’s biggest banks – Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds Bank – have also been confirmed as sponsors and principal partners.

November 25, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK unveils white paper to set approach to global development [November 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 November 2023.

The white paper, published today, sets out revolutionary approach to tackling world hunger.

The UK has today set out a re-energised approach to international development in a white paper, aimed at working with partners to tackle global challenges in the years up to 2030.

It sets out how the UK will take action alongside spending aid and put renewed focus on prioritising partnerships, mobilising international finance and driving global policy change. It also leads on harnessing science and innovation to address extreme poverty and climate change.

Under new plans, more than half of all bilateral aid will go to least developed countries and for the first time the UK will set a target for its overseas investment arm, British International Investment (BII), to make more than half of its investments in the poorest and most fragile countries by 2030.

The white paper will also set out how we will work alongside partners to strengthen and reform the international system to improve collective action on trade, tax, debt, tackling dirty money and corrupt criminals, and deliver on global challenges like health, climate, and energy transition, which will benefit everyone in the world.

It will also set up a specific resilience and adaptation fund to help developing countries better prepare for humanitarian crises – rather than just react to them.

International Development Minister Andrew Mitchell said:

We have a unique opportunity – using science, technology and innovation – to have a lasting, long-term impact on tackling hunger, poverty and climate change. The UK has a proud history of helping people in desperate need – it’s in our DNA. Tackling global challenges for the benefit of us all is the right thing to do, but it is also the smart thing to do.

This white paper will show how the UK will help to deliver the quantum leap that is urgently needed, including through mobilising international finance, to deliver the UN’s Sustainable Global Goals by 2030. We cannot close this gap through aid alone.

The white paper will set out how the UK will help make taxpayers’ money go further by combining diplomacy and development to maximise impact from our investment. An example of the white paper in action is Cavex, which the UK has invested in, and will help rural households in Africa to financially benefit from offsetting their carbon emissions by linking them up with companies in the UK and elsewhere.

November 25, 2023
David Cameron – 2023 Speech to the Global Food Security Summit

The speech made by David Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, in London on 20 November 2023.

Thank you ladies and gentleman and thank you Andrew. A week into my new job and I am delighted this is my first speaking engagement because it is an issue that really matters.

Thank you to Andrew Mitchell for bringing us here. Thank you to the Somalian President who I met with this morning for his attendance today and thank you to the UAE, our friends in the Emirates for being our co-hosts. And an apology, I am meant to be teaching a course in Abu Dhabi at New York University in January and I’ve had to cancel that because of my new role but I was very much looking forward to another stay in your remarkable country.

And of course thank you to the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their support. It is so good to be back working with you again on these sorts of issues that matter so much.

This government has a proud record on development and I am proud of what we did on development and I am determined that we put development right back at the heart of our Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, it is so important.

You have had a long day, with lots of speeches. I have had an extraordinary day going to the House of Lords, doing all the right things, and nodding and saying yes and all the rest of it. So I’ll go home and tell Mrs Cameron she is now Lady Cameron, she’s absolutely furious about that. That is what happened to me today but you have had a long day and had lots of speeches so I just want to make 4 simple points.

The first is what you have been doing today and talking about today, food security, really matters. I believe in all the SDGs – indeed, I was part of the committee that helped do the original work drawing them up. I care about all of them, but food is foundational to all aspects of development.

Without secure access to a nutritious diet, nothing can be achieved. And malnourished children can never fully develop their bodies and minds, and it robs them of their futures and it robs their societies of their potential.

The number of people facing acute food insecurity is the highest it has been in years. And this is just the tip of what I have called a ‘silent crisis’, with a third of the world unable to afford a healthy diet.

So I promise you this today – the UK will continue to lead efforts like this.

Now it is great to speak after Minister Dias as Brazil takes on the G20 Presidency. As Prime Minister, I hosted with Brazil summits on Hunger and Nutrition for Growth in 2012 and 2013. Together, we galvanised global action. It was more money invested in better outcomes and that’s what needed again.

Second, this is an absolutely critical moment. Not just because this silent crisis is growing. But because we cannot separate it from other global crises.

Putin’s illegal invasion brought this home, as he deliberately sought to rob us of one of the world’s great bread baskets. His cynicism was plain for all to see. He obstructed the Black Sea Grain Initiative. He then walked away from it. He then tried to destroy the very supplies that the world needs.

But I saw for myself, in Ukraine, in the Port of Odessa, there is good news. Ukraine is pushing Russia back in the Black Sea. And with the new Unity Facility between UK insurance brokers and the government in Kyiv, shipping insurance for their food exports is affordable once more.

So let the message go out. Ships are sailing, grain is being exported, Ukraine will continue to help feed us all.

Third point, there is a vital link between food security and development, on the one hand, and the problem of state fragility and conflict on the other.

Of course, farmers can farm, traders can trade, but without the rule of law, without property and land rights, without peace, without trusted institutions, you cannot get your product to market.

That’s why it’s time to change the way we do development. That is what Andrew Mitchell’s excellent white paper published today is all about. It captures how Britain will help do this in the future. No more top-down targets that set up fragile states to fail. Instead working with them to make sure we back their priorities, help them deliver, help them to tell the story to their people about what they are doing to bring their countries to security and prosperity.

We will work as partners on strategies and plans which developing countries can own and deliver. We will push to unlock the full potential of development finance. I want us to watch as all those multilateral development banks look at their balance sheets and work out what more they can lend and we work with them to get that money into development, into the poorest countries and helping the poorest people.

Finally, my fourth point – a note of optimism.

We can tackle this problem. With innovation and technology, we are capable of feeding all the people on our planet. It can be done. We have the technology. We must bring it to bare.

The Soviet writer Ilya Ehrenburg wrote of the victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine: “not one of them was guilty of anything”. And what was true then is true now.

Today, we have heard from the experts. We have heard about the tools. We have seen the commitment we need to realise Zero Hunger.

And I can tell you this, the United Kingdom, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office will be with you every step of the way as we do so.

Thank you.

November 25, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK summit to boost food security through science and innovation [November 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 November 2023.

The Global Food Security Summit will bring together experts to address the underlying causes of food insecurity and build more resilient food systems.
- Global Food Security Summit in London will drive long term change on hunger and malnutrition
- new UK support will advance food security by developing climate change resilient crops and boosting funding to tackle severe child malnutrition
- the international development white paper launched at the summit sets out the UK’s new long-term approach to global food challenges
The UK will launch a new science centre where experts will develop climate resilient crops and identify risks to global food systems, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce today (Monday 20 November).

The new venture will be unveiled at the Global Food Security Summit in London, which the UK is hosting alongside Somalia, UAE, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In his opening speech the Prime Minister will urge the international community to address the underlying causes of food insecurity, build more resilient food systems and to act now to prevent food crises and malnutrition.

The new virtual science hub, will be led CGIAR, a global research partnership which unites international organisations working on food security will make global food systems more resilient to future shocks in a changing climate. It will link UK scientists with research initiatives that will develop crops that can withstand the impacts of climate change and are more disease resistant.

The UK’s new international development white paper on food insecurity is also expected to be announced on Monday at the summit.

The white paper is set to address food insecurity as one of the pressing global challenges, setting out how the UK will go beyond giving aid money and instead work in partnerships with countries to tackle extreme poverty and climate change.

Climate change, conflict, the long-term impacts of COVID-19 and the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on global food supply are the main drivers of current food insecurity.

The UK has played a leading role in ensuring Ukraine can continue to export its agricultural produce, despite Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) and disregard for the impact it had on the world’s most vulnerable. Ukrainian grain exports are crucial to ensuring global food security.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

We must take action to address the underlying, and often unseen, causes of global food insecurity.

From the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine, to the effect of major natural disasters on food production, I am proud that alongside our partners, the UK is playing a leading role in finding solutions to some of the greatest global challenges of our time.

The white paper priorities include mobilising international finance, reforming the international system, harnessing innovation, and putting women and girls centre stage, ensuring opportunities for all.

International Development Minister Andrew Mitchell said:

Many children go to bed hungry and malnourished. At this summit, the UK and its partners will be united in our determination to change that. Cutting edge science and innovative partnerships will help Britain create a healthier, more secure and prosperous world for us all.

Today we will launch the UK international development white paper, setting out our long-term vision for addressing critical global challenges, including preventing and treating child wasting, through new partnerships and sources of finance. The Global Food Summit is a practical example of how we are already working to make that vision happen.

Flood-tolerant rice, disease-resistant wheat, biofortified and vitamin-rich sweet potatoes are just some of the improved crops the UK has so far helped to develop through CGIAR’s advanced crop breeding.

Together with partners, the UK is addressing the deteriorating food security and malnutrition situation across the world, including across Africa.

Up to £100 million humanitarian funding is being released to countries worst hit by food insecurity including Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan and Afghanistan, and to countries reeling from climate-related cyclones and droughts, like Malawi.

The UK is also helping to avert future food and nutrition crises in Somalia by building resilience to climate shocks and strengthening health services.

Malnutrition is the underlying cause of 45% of child deaths around the world.

At the summit the Prime Minister will announce the UK is providing more support to the Child Nutrition Fund. The funding will mean it can scale up its support for breastfeeding, infant feeding and health care and improve monitoring of what best manages and prevents the worst forms of child malnutrition.

UK support will also match pound for pound the amount the worst affected countries including Uganda, Ethiopia and Senegal invest of their own resources in tackling the issue. This will help secure a more reliable supply of critical food for young children suffering from the worst form of malnutrition.

Read the white paper on international development: International development in a contested world: ending extreme poverty and tackling climate change.

Background

The summit will be opened with speeches from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, UAE’s Minister for Climate Change and Environment Mariam Almheiri and Sir Chris Hohn of CIFF.

Representatives from more than 20 countries, including Somalia, UAE, Brazil, Pakistan, Yemen, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique are expected at the summit.

The UK announcements include:
- up to £100 million to respond to food security crises and their impacts in the world’s hunger and malnutrition hotspots, including Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, the Sahel, Afghanistan and Malawi. The funds cover programmes that matter for food security, including food, nutrition support and cash support to the most vulnerable households
- up to £100 million to build resilience to climate shocks and provide food security for the most vulnerable families in Somalia to avert future humanitarian crises
- the new CGIAR UK Science centre
- an extra £16 million for the Child Nutrition Fund
November 25, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : £111 million awarded to Wales from the Levelling Up Fund [November 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 20 November 2023.

Seven projects are awarded grants from round three of Levelling Up Fund to support long-term regeneration and growth.
- Projects include regeneration schemes in Port Talbot and Rhyl, creating a vibrant public area in Barry Dock and upgrading cycle routes in Powys
- Chancellor announces intention to work with Welsh government to extend window for Freeports and Investment Zones to unlock further investment
Regenerating Port Talbot town centre, creating a public area on Barry’s waterfront and upgrading cycle routes in Powys are some of the transformational projects awarded a share from the UK Government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund.

Seven projects have been allocated £111 million in Wales which will help create jobs, drive economic growth and spread equality to historically overlooked areas – restoring pride in the places people live. This will drive forward the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy by levelling up and provide foundations for building a better future in communities across the UK.

This announcement builds on previous Levelling Up investment into Wales through funds such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Freeports and the Long-Term Plan for Towns. This takes the total figure to over £1.2 billion in addition to other investments in local growth, such as £790 million of UK Government investment in City and Growth Deals in Wales.

Levelling up Secretary Michael Gove said:

Levelling Up means delivering local’s people’s priorities and bringing transformational change in communities that have, for too long, been overlooked and undervalued.

Today we are backing 55 projects across the UK with £1 billion to create new jobs and opportunities, power economic growth, and revitalise local areas.

This funding sits alongside our wider initiatives to spread growth, through devolving more money and power out of Westminster to towns and cities, putting in place bespoke interventions to places that need it most, and our long-term plan for towns.

A total of £27 million has today been awarded to Neath Port Talbot after two successful bids, including £15 million to regenerate Port Talbot town centre with improvements to Civic Square, the refurbishment of Princess Royal Theatre and improvements to green space at Riverside.

A fund of £12 million has also been awarded to restore and reopen the historic Grade II listed Newbridge bridge to pedestrians and cyclists, whilst Newbridge Road and Riverside Road will also be upgraded.

A further £20 million has been awarded to the Barry Dock waterfront to create a vibrant public area with a new business centre and food and drink outlets, along with almost £18 million to encourage healthier ways of travel in Powys. This includes restoring footbridges and improving the National Cycle Network by resurfacing several paths and improving connectivity to popular tourist destinations.

Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies said:

This is another hugely significant investment in transformative projects across Wales. From town centre regeneration to improving travel infrastructure, these schemes will have a positive impact for generations to come.

The UK Government continues to invest in communities throughout Wales as we work towards our aims of growing the Welsh economy and levelling up the UK.

Wales has been very successful in the first two rounds of the Levelling Up Fund, with a total of 21 projects receiving over £329 million. It means the UK Government has significantly exceeded the minimum 5% it originally ringfenced for Wales at the outset of the fund, with Wales receiving over 9% across the three rounds totalling £440 million overall for 28 projects.

Previous investments across the first two rounds of the fund include the Porth Transport Hub, which will rejuvenate the town’s pre-existing railway station into a modern, centralised and accessible transport centre for locals and visitors. It also includes electric car charging points, a new taxi rank and cycle storage, plus upgrades to the local travel network.

Growing the economy and making the long-term decisions to deliver the change the country needs is a priority for the Prime Minister.

Today the Chancellor has confirmed the Investment Zones programme in England will be extended from five to 10 years and the window to claim Freeport tax reliefs in England will be extended from five to ten years until September 2031.

The UK Government will work with the Welsh government with the intention of delivering the same extension to Investment Zones and Freeports in Wales.

Projects awarded Levelling Up Fund money in Wales today:
- Almost £18m to encourage healthier ways of travel in Powys including by restoring footbridges and improving the National Cycle Network by resurfacing several paths and improving connectivity to popular tourist destinations.
- £20m to transform a site on the Barry Dock waterfront into a vibrant public area, with a new business centre, food and drink outlets, and recreational and marina facilities.
- More than £15m towards renovating a number of derelict buildings and creating more green areas in Llanelli town centre
- £20m for projects to develop and boost areas in Denbighshire, such as Rhyl, which will include regenerating the town centre, creating more community centres, improving cycle and footpaths, and improving routes between the town and coast.
- £12m to restore and reopen the historic Grade II listed Newbridge bridge to pedestrians and cyclists, whilst Newbridge Road and Riverside Road will also be upgraded.
- £15m to regenerate Port Talbot town centre with improvements to Civic Square, the refurbishment of Princess Royal Theatre, and improvements to green space at Riverside.
- More than £10m to improve public accessibility across Pembroke town, focusing on Westgate, Eastgate and overall improvements to the environment.
November 25, 2023
Rishi Sunak – 2023 Remarks at the Food Security Summit

The remarks made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, at Lancaster House in London on 20 November 2023.

Welcome to the Global Food Security Summit.

I’d like to start by thanking our summit partners – Somalia, the UAE, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation…

And I also want to thank my friend Andrew Mitchell for his incredible work on the International Development White Paper – which we’re proud to be launching today.

hank you all for your participation and support today.

We live in a dangerous world – a time of growing threats, strategic competition and conflict.

Many of these challenges, like the war in Ukraine, have a direct impact on the poorest around in world.

Others threaten to draw attention away from their plight, putting at risk the vital progress made over recent years.

With this White Paper, we’re answering those challenges…

…changing our approach to deliver in a changing world.

Because we know that you don’t lead merely with strength – but with compassion.

So we’re going further to help the poorest and support those suffering in humanitarian crises.

We’re not just applying our aid budget to deliver results on the ground, but also Britain’s expertise in development and our leadership in science, technology and innovation.

And we’ll do all of this not by acting alone or seeking to dictate the way forward…

…but through building even deeper partnerships around the world, based on mutual respect.

It’s only by working together that we will get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track.

And that starts with redoubling our efforts to deliver the goal on “zero hunger”.

It can’t be right that today in 2023, almost one billion people across the world regularly do not have enough to eat…

…that millions face hunger and starvation…

…and over 45 million children under five are suffering acute malnutrition.

In a world of abundance, no one should die from lack of food.

And no parent should ever have to watch their child starve.

I’m proud of everything the UK is doing to provide immediate relief.

We’re one of the top 4 donors to UN crisis response.

We’ve doubled our aid for Palestinian civilians – with an additional £30 million.

We’re clear that Israel has the right to defend itself…

…it has been attacked in the most brutal manner possible by an enemy that hides itself in hospitals.

It must act within international humanitarian law. The situation on the ground is truly tragic and getting worse.

We’re pressing hard for unhindered humanitarian access in Gaza… and for urgent and substantive humanitarian pauses to get in food, fuel and medicine…

…because the suffering of innocent civilians must end.

We’re also leading the way in helping Ukraine get its grain out through the Black Sea and into the hands of those in need.

But because the scale of the global hunger crisis is so staggering, today we’re going further…

…providing up to £100 million now for those worst hit, particularly across East Africa, the Sahel, and Afghanistan…

…and in countries like Malawi which are reeling from climate-related cyclones and drought.

Yet, as everyone here knows, simply responding in the wake of crisis is not enough.

Climate change, conflict and population rise mean ever greater challenges to food supplies.

So we need a fundamental shift in the way we approach food security…

…with a focus on long-term solutions to stop food crises before they start.

And we need to harness the full power of science and technology to ensure supplies are resilient to threats like conflict, drought and floods.

That’s why the UK is working to deliver lasting solutions.

And we’re doing so in four important ways.

First, by preventing the worst forms of child malnutrition.

We played a leading role in the design of the Child Nutrition Fund, which supports vital supplies of life-saving food.

And today I’m pleased to announce we’re building on that with a further £16 million…

… and helping to bring in more funding, including from our fantastic philanthropic partners.

Second, we’re using technology to anticipate and prevent food security crises.

Together with our partners, we’re applying AI to model the impact of climate change on agriculture, so that we can find ways to avoid future crises.

And we know just how effective this can be.

Our work with the Government of Somalia helped them avert famine last year.

And today, I’m pleased to announce that will we help Somalia avoid future crises with up to £100 million of future support…

…enabling thousands of communities manage water supplies, adapt their farming, and increase their resilience to droughts, floods and other climate shocks.

Third, we’re supporting developing countries to build more sustainable and resilient food systems.

We helped set up the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program to crowd-in public and private sector finance.

And now we’re driving reform of development banks, stretching their balance sheets even further to unlock more resources for food security…

… and that includes UK guarantees which are releasing $6 billion of the Banks’ resources for development in countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

Finally, we’re applying our leadership in science to this crisis.

As the country that over the last few years has led the development of the world’s first and second malaria vaccines…

…we’re also driving scientific advances in food security which benefit millions globally…

…as well as supporting our brilliant farmers here at home.

We’ve already helped develop crops that are drought-resistant and even richer in vitamins…

…now feeding 100 million people across Africa.

And we’re going further… launching a new UK CGIAR Science Centre to drive cutting-edge research on flood tolerant rice, disease resistant wheat and much more.

These innovations will reach millions across the poorest countries…

… as well as improving UK crop yields and driving down food prices.

In conclusion, this is the difference that Britain makes – using all our expertise and tools at our disposal – helping people now and for the long term.

But we cannot do this alone.

That’s what this summit is all about. And it’s why our approach is all about partnership.

With your help, we can get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track…

…deliver a world of zero hunger…

…and transform millions of lives for years to come.

Thank you – have a great summit.

November 25, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Biggest prostate cancer screening trial in decades to start in UK [November 2023]
The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 19 November 2023.

The trial will use innovative screening methods like an MRI scan and see hundreds of thousands of men across the country participating.
On International Men’s Day (19 November 2023), government joins Prostate Cancer UK to unveil £42 million screening trial to find ways of detecting country’s most common male cancer earlier

Hundreds of thousands of men across the country will participate, with 1 in 10 participants set to be black men who have a much higher prostate cancer risk

NHS England to carry out suite of improvements to men’s health pages online, and first ever Men’s Health Ambassador set to be appointed by government

Thousands of men’s lives could be saved, and their loved ones spared the tragedy of losing someone to cancer, as a major new prostate cancer screening trial is set to get under way in the UK backed by £42 million from the government and Prostate Cancer UK.

The first-of-its-kind trial – called TRANSFORM – will use innovative screening methods like an MRI scan to detect prostate cancer, and it will see hundreds of thousands of men across the country participating.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK and has no screening programme. It usually has no symptoms until it has grown large and may be more difficult to treat and, sadly, 12,000 men die of it every single year.

A way of effectively screening for prostate cancer could find these men before their cancer spreads and save their lives.

The trial has the potential to see new screening methods give more accurate results than the current blood tests, which can miss some cancers and often suggest prostate cancer when no cancer exists.

Crucially, screening could also spot the disease even when no symptoms are displayed.

Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said:

Cancer survival rates continue to improve in the UK, with the disease being diagnosed at an earlier stage more often. But more must be done.

Our hope is that this funding will help to save the lives of thousands more men through advanced screening methods that can catch prostate cancer as early as possible.

Laura Kerby, Chief Executive at Prostate Cancer UK, said:

12,000 men die of prostate cancer each year and it’s the most common cancer that doesn’t have a national screening programme.

It’s about time that changed. That’s why we’re launching our biggest and most ambitious trial ever. It will finally give us the answers we need to develop a routine testing system and save thousands of men each year.

Prostate Cancer UK’s unique focus and expertise made us the only organisation that could really deliver this paradigm-shifting trial, and we’re delighted that the government has backed our vision to revolutionise diagnosis.

One in 4 black men will develop prostate cancer – double the risk of other men. Therefore, to ensure the trial helps reduce their risk of dying from this disease, 1 in 10 men invited to participate will be black men. Participating men in the screening trial will be aged 50 to 75, with black men eligible from the lower age range of 45 to 75.

Men at higher risk of prostate cancer due to age and ethnicity will be recruited through their GP practice and invited to a screening visit.

More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the UK on average – that’s 144 men every day. Around 490,000 men are currently living with and after prostate cancer.

Sports broadcaster Steve Rider, 73, shared his prostate cancer diagnosis last month:

It was from talking with friends that I explored my risk of prostate cancer. I didn’t have any symptoms and wasn’t expecting to be diagnosed.

Luckily, my cancer was all contained within the prostate, giving me the opportunity to have significant surgery to deal with it, but for too many men they are diagnosed late.

£16 million will be invested by the government for the trial through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Prostate Cancer UK, who have led the development of the trial, will provide £26 million. The trial is due to start in spring 2024 with recruitment likely to begin in autumn 2024.

The government has already opened 127 community diagnostic centres to offer quicker, more convenient checks outside of hospitals for conditions such as cancer, with over 5 million additional tests delivered so far.

The major conditions strategy will also consider the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of conditions including cancer. The UK is already working with world-renowned scientists to deliver new cancer vaccine trials and is growing the size of the specialist workforce.

Daniel Burkey, 58, from Yorkshire, was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in June 2021. He said:

Men need prostate cancer screening so that if we’ve got it, we can find out early enough to treat it and get rid of it. I got my diagnosis in my fifties, and the doctor told me the horrible news that it can’t be cured.

It was an awful shock, and I still find it hard to accept that I’ll always have this disease, but I’m doing everything I can to control the cancer with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and 2 kinds of hormone therapy; one by injection, one orally.

Things could have been different if I’d been tested routinely and caught it early enough. If the UK gets prostate cancer screening, so many lives will be saved. Knowing that this trial is going to find a way to do that makes me optimistic for other men.

Professor Lucy Chappell, NIHR Chief Executive, said:

New research into harnessing innovative screening methods is crucial in finding ways to detect this serious disease earlier, in the race against time to save lives.

That’s why setting up this landmark new trial in partnership between NIHR and Prostate Cancer UK is so important.

Together we can aim to generate high quality long-term evidence to benefit men at risk of developing this condition, and to inform those who plan and deliver NHS services of how best to test for the disease.

Other measures announced today

Men’s Health Ambassador

The government will be recruiting for the UK’s first ever Men’s Health Ambassador, we are inviting applications from anyone with an interest and expertise in men’s health.

The successful candidate, to be announced in the coming months, will be responsible for increasing awareness of certain conditions and health needs faced by men. They will help dispel taboos and stigmas and encourage more open conversations among men about their general health.

The role will be open for applications on GOV.UK shortly.

NHS website updates

NHS England will deliver a host of important improvements and updates to pages on its website most used by men. This will make it easier for men to both find and understand the help and support on offer for certain conditions.

Pages on issues like prostatitis, testicular cancer and low sperm count will be updated in the coming months.

Men’s health task and finish group

The government will establish the first men’s health task and finish group. Membership will include behavioural scientists, men’s health campaigners, experts and academics.

Together, they will help us identify how we can get more men to engage with their health, including a focus on better understanding male access to primary care services, such as GPs and male uptake of the NHS Health Check.
November 25, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : New initiatives for regional peace – Lord Ahmad’s statement at the IISS Manama Dialogue 2023 [November 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 November 2023.

Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, spoke at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue 2023.

It’s a pleasure to be back in Bahrain. Indeed, I was saying to our Ambassador, and indeed Bahrain’s excellent ambassador to London, Sheikh Fawaz, for me over the last few years has become home away from home; according to my wife is it my home and I see her occasionally. But this is an incredible country. A country which has really demonstrated – as it’s doing so again today – its convening power.

Since then – since my last visit in Bahrain – the bilateral relationship has grown even stronger, including the visit that we celebrated of His Royal Highness Prince Salman’s visit in July. And more recently, I’m proud to say that the 2 countries – the United Kingdom and Bahrain – have elevated our exchanges to our first strategic dialogue, which I had the honour to co-chair with my dear friend, his Excellency Dr Al Zayani in London. And may I therefore thank the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting us today for another important and timely event.

And I assure you the UK delegation here is in strengths. They say you normally have one Lord; I can certainly look across this room and see several more: Lord Sedwill, Lord Maud, as well as other parliamentarians and business leaders are here, demonstrating the United Kingdom’s commitment to Bahrain; but also, importantly, the region.

Last year, when the then Foreign Secretary addressed you, he spoke in glowing terms about the transformation of the region; but also, importantly, of the threats that continue to face the region, indeed all of us.

In this context, Bahrain has shown, under His Majesty’s vision, continued leadership on peaceful coexistence and regional security. We have seen the benefit of the Gulf region’s approach to foreign policy over the last year, including efforts to end the conflict in Sudan, hosting Ukrainian peace talks and, most recently, bringing the Arab world together in response to the crisis that we are all facing up to today in Israel, across Gaza and the West Bank. These efforts have reconfirmed what we already knew: that you remain a vital partner now and for the future.

And as we’ve heard from the Secretary General and His Royal Highness in his detailed sense of experience over the years, we together face a daunting set of challenges. And in this regard let me be absolutely clear: we, the United Kingdom, remains a reliable and a committed partner for the region in responding to the challenges and availing the opportunities that lie in front of us.

A partner working to constrain Iranian weapons proliferation and the destabilising activity of Iran and its aligned groups that are responsible for much instability across the region and further afield; a partner also holding Tehran to account for its escalatory nuclear programme.

A partner working together with other key partners in the region for security and peace in Yemen, in Libya.

A partner for prosperity with, and between, the nations of the Gulf.

And a partner working to support this region’s transition to net zero, that will help avert the most disastrous impacts of climate change that threaten the Gulf – indeed the world.

I say all of this because, despite and notwithstanding the importance and urgency of these and other challenges, it is natural, given the scale of the attack that occurred on Israel on the 7th of October, the scale of the suffering of innocent Palestinian civilians in the weeks since – that we are still seeing today – that our focus is on this region; on Gaza; on the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians.

This ongoing conflict is not only a disaster for the region, it is a disaster for all of us: it is a disaster for our common humanity.

The people of Gaza were already living under desperate conditions prior to this conflict; but now they are suffering more, without adequate food, water and access to the most basic of services we all take for granted, and in constant fear of their own live. They deserve better from all of us – and I agree with you, your Royal Highness, it means a collective, collaborative effort.

It is also a disaster for the region and the world because conflict stokes division. It has led to alarming spikes of anti-Semitism; of Islamophobia; and yes, that has impacted my own country, the United Kingdom.

And therefore, if we do not work together, collectively, collaboratively, this conflict will spread. These aren’t just words, these are alarming signals we are seeing. And we need to work together to stop this conflict from spreading.

The regional and international fault lines we have worked so hard over many, many years to bridge will tragically reopen, and the progress I have spoken of will be undermined.

Therefore what to do? What should the international community be doing?

Well, coming together; discussing; exchanging views; candid, open public discussions – yes. But private diplomacy and exchanges as well.

All focussed that in the immediate term we must stem the bloodshed, and do all we can to provide aid and security as quickly as possible to all people.

Let me be clear, the UK has been very clear on this: that Israel had the right to defend itself against Hamas, against the act of terrorism that took place on the 7th of October.

Hamas, let us not forget, acted erroneously in the name of religion I follow, that many of you follow in this room, but has nothing to do with religion. Hamas do not believe in peace. The horrific atrocities against many nationalities – not just Israelis – also took the lives of the Jewish community in Israel, but there were a number of other faiths, including Muslims, as well.

Therefore Hamas poses an immediate threat to many, indeed to us all. It itself has insisted it will repeat such atrocities, and, of course, an ultimate aim of ending the state of Israel.

Therefore it’s our collective interest that the kind of abhorrent events we saw on the 7th of October, the terrorism we see around the world – indeed the United Kingdom itself has been impacted by indiscriminate terrorism – that we work collectively to ensure these events do not happen.

But the UK has equally been clear that in defending such a right, Israel must – Israel must – respect international humanitarian law, and take every possible step to minimise harm to civilians. Israel is a country, is a nation, with obligations to international law.

This also includes respecting the sanctity of hospitals, so that doctors – who do an incredible job as we are seeing for ourselves – can continue to care for the ill; the injured; the sick. And the situation in much of Gaza now – particularly in hospitals as well, such as al-Shifa, where, tragically, young innocent children, babies have died as the result of lack of electricity – has become acute.

Too many people; too many innocent children; too many babies; too many lives lost. Every life matters, irrespective of Israeli or Palestinia; Jewish, Muslim or Christian. Every life matters; humanity matters.

And that is why the UK, led by the Prime Minister, has been engaged widely, with our friends and allies, and partners in this region, including many of you here. And, importantly, with the incredible aid agencies including the United Nations, to get life-saving aid to those in Gaza. And let us pay tribute to those brave workers from the UN and other agencies who continue to work in conflict-affected zones.

We have more than doubled our support to the people of Gaza, committing over £30million. And we continue to support through NGOs as well.

We are looking constructively at what can be done immediately. We believe that land-borders present the best option for getting support where it is most needed, and we have been urging the Israeli government to allow for more access – not just through Rafah, but to open up the Kerem Shalom crossing as well.

We have consistently called for those spaces to be created for the delivery of unhindered and sustainable humanitarian aid through pauses. Those spaces need to be created now, to allow for aid to be delivered.

The 4-hour pauses we have seen in northern Gaza are a first, but initial step only; we need longer corridors, time across all of Gaza, if we are to deliver what is needed. And we need a collective effort to get this done.

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council called – and I quote – for “urgent extended humanitarian pauses for sufficient number of days to allow for aid access”. And we must work towards this end.

And as we’ve heard time and time again from this platform during the course of our deliberations: yes, we must work together for a durable, long-term two-state solution; but it must not be paper-based. The time has come for action; we need to pull out the stops now. The time is critical to act.

The UK believes that lasting peace can only be achieved through that two-state solution. Not as a vision, but as a reality.

We agreed on Gaza at the G7 and with other countries. The steps were laid out by Secretary Blinken, and we stand by those. Not a path that exists only in principle, or in the minds of diplomats or officials; but – as we’ve seen today – not again a cycle of repeated resolutions that make too little difference on the ground. We need a real pathway: a pathway to peace; a pathway which is real: to restore hope in the future for all the peoples of the region; a hope – ladies and gentlemen, your Excellencies – that has been lacking for too long.

I end my comments with a quote; a quote many of you in this room will recognise – I know your Royal Highness, you will recognise it; Secretary General, you will recognise it. In 1994, the words were: “There is only one radical means of sanctifying human lives. Not armoured plating, not tanks, not planes, or concrete fortifications. The real radical solution is peace.” The words of Yitzhak Rabin.

November 25, 2023